West Warned Over Syria: 'This Could Turn Into a World War'

A Muslim world leader has issued a stark warning that the conflict in Syria could be a pre-cursor to a world war.

Intervention by foreign powers would seriously risk escalating the conflict causing great devastation and terrible damage across the world, said Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmed, Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

In an address at western Europe's biggest mosque, the Baitul Futuh mosque in Morden, Surrey, which was televised across the globe, the Caliph called on Muslims to put their own house in order.

And he urged western powers to work through the UN rather than acting unilaterally.

The calamity of Syria, he said, reflected how far Muslims had gone from the teachings of Islam.

The Caliph said:

"The current global situation is fast moving towards devastation. In particular the Syrian crisis could plunge the Arab world in great devastation and if foreign powers join in, the terrible damage ensuing will not be limited to some countries in Asia, but will be worldwide. Neither the countries in Asia, nor the world powers appreciate that this conflict could be a pre-cursor to a World War.

"The calamity that started in Syria two and a half years ago was brought about by Muslims themselves and it is ever-increasing. The government forces are killing the citizens and the citizens are killing the government forces. Alawis are killing Sunnis and Sunnis are killing Alawis, and all of them claim to recite the one Kalima (Muslim declaration of faith).

"Extremists have joined the rebel Sunni forces, who are fighting in the name of 'freedom'. The damage wrought by these extremists to the country will only be gauged later on.

"Unfortunately this current calamity is acquiring a dangerous form. They do not realise that in the name of freedom the masses and in the name of maintaining peace the government have both fought each other so badly and are so weakened by it that now world powers are making great attempts for their own vested interests in the name of maintaining peace and in the name of bringing about freedom. These attempts can engulf the world in destruction."

Turning to foreign intervention, the Caliph said:

"The Russian president wrote [in the New York Times] that it is not right to bypass the United Nations in such decisions. He clearly wrote that no one wants United Nations to have the fate of the League of Nations which collapsed. Certainly, he is right."

The Caliph also highlighted the advice given by the Israeli president:

"It is quite embarrassing that the Israeli president should give the advice that should have been forthcoming from the Muslims. Even if they had not thought of what the Israeli president had said, once he made his suggestion to the Western countries, the council of Muslim countries should have announced that they would themselves handle the chaos in their region."

The Caliph said that Muslims had not heeded God's injunctions which are explicit in the Holy Quran. Instead, the Caliph said of the Muslims engaging in conflict: "There is no honour in them anymore; they seek help from the others to kill their own."

And in a call to action to Muslims, the Caliph said:

"Even if there was conflict among them, they would resolve it in light of their perfect teaching. If rebellion had arisen among them they may have taken technical help from outside but the planning and the manpower should have been their own. If this was their stance no outsider would dare to challenge them.

"Restlessness in Muslim countries may be borne of any reason, even genuine grievances of the masses, when Western powers wrongly interfere, it ends in disorder."

The Caliph warned that it would only by returning to the teachings of Islam that peace would be found in Syria.